Alice

by Maryanne Pearce
(Ottawa, Ontario)

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Sonja.
Dear Pyr rescue,

I am greatly saddened to let you know that Alice passed away in October 2019 at the age of 10 years and 4 months. It has been over a year since her passing and I still cannot write this without crying. I think Alice and I both knew on the day she came to stay with me as a temporary foster dog that she had found her forever home. She was a quirky dog until the end, but her eccentricities just made the two of us closer.

We are happy to report that Alice has found her forever home. Our thanks to her new family for making her a part of their lives. This was her story...

Alice and Jazz (also up for adoption) were born in July 2009. It was better for their socialization and confidence to separate them, and they are doing well. They are to be adopted separately, although Alice can definitely go to a home with other dogs. Alice has been spayed, and will be microchipped and have all her vaccinations up to date before adoption.

Alice is cute, cuddly and trés shy. She loves her belly rubbed and to cuddle with you when you are watching TV. She is a couch potato mostly: she follows you upstairs and then back on the couch. After initially being far too fearful to leave the house, she is now going outside several times a day for her business, but requires assistance in the evening (lifting her to the door). She still has anxiety pees when company comes to visit. She is possessive of her toys and food, with a bit of distraction she is fine. She doesn't like the car, but is fine when she is in it (Takes you forever to get her in and out, with an accident included). You can run her from point a-to-b, but she will not go for walks (too shy still); this requires more confident building. This is an improvement from when she first came into care, and her foster mom is working on this - we are all proud of Alice (and her foster mom - and also Rain, the other foster dog in the house, for helping Alice to move forward.)

Alice rarely barked only to alert you or if other dogs are barking and stopped on command. However, since she has been with another dog, she has taken to barking. Her foster mother is working on it to see why and correct this behaviour.

She doesn't really know many commands yet. She knows OFF, DOWN and OUT. If you catch her doing something wrong, she cowers and you can't move her. Do not leave a leash on her or she'll chew it!

She is a joy once she settles around you. She had spent the holidays with an adoptive family and their dog (Bear, now Zephr) and quickly bonded to the new family, and then returned to her foster mom after New Years with great success. Alice did not appear to have such anxiety and fears last summer, but during that time and when she came into care, her family had undergone a lot of suffering and upset; we are confident that with time and patience, she will continue to improve and become as confident as she is beautiful.